There are over 14 billion online searches every month, what an astounding number.  It’s hard for me to wrap my head around numbers that big.  In light of our really big number, what does that have to do with your small business?  Those 14 billion searches can lead customers to your website; some of them can even be potential customers.  Let’s talk about a few tips that your small business can use to help attract new customers.

1)  Update your website-Your website shouldn’t be something that you create, and then just leave to sit like a book on a shelf.  The content on your website should be updated on a regular basis, keeping your content relevant for users and search engines.  Search engines like Google, Yahoo!, and Bing look at how often your website is updated when deciding how relevant it is for users.  Your costumers also need new content to keep their interest, have a reason to visit your website again, and know about your latest services and products.

2)  View your website analytics- If you’re not familiar with the term website analytics, it simply means measuring, collecting, and analyzing your website data.  Why is it important for you to view your website analytics on a regular basis?  So you can know what pages people are visiting on your website, and which pages may need to be changed.  You can also learn important factors such as how visitors got to your site.  Did they click you paid advertisement; find you in a local directory, or through a search engine?  If no one is clicking on your paid advertisement, then you need to discern why.

3)  Build an email collection- Building an email collection is a great way to update your current customers, offer discounts, and more.  How do you build an email collection?  The easiest way build your email collection is to have a sign-up form on your website.  Entice customers to sign-up by offering them a discount, a free one-time service, or helpful advice.  One important factor to keep in mind when building an email collection is to ask for permission.  Asking for permission is vital to the success of your email campaign.

4)  Be social- I don’t mean call your friends and chat about the latest news, I mean interact with your customers online.  Ask your customers questions on Twitter, respond to Facebook comments, join LinkedIn.  Internet users are spending excess of 4.6 hours a week on social media, join the conversation.

What online marketing tips have been successful for your small business?  Post a comment below and let us know!

Shine Online Marketing, LLC. 72 N OF FLDS Hattiesburg, MS 39402. 601-336-3001.